Ask for Angela: New code word for violence launches in the region

Staff inside local Loblaws or Shoppers Drug Mart stores are now trained to respond when someone asks for Angela.

Anyone feeling unsafe or vulnerable can go into one of over 40 participating locations and use the code word to get help. The Ask for Angela campaign launched this week in the Waterloo Region.

It was a partnership made with Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR). The CEO, Jennifer Hutton, said it provides another way for people to reach out in a discreet way.

“What it does is it allows anyone who might be experiencing violence to be able to approach a staff member at one of the Loblaws or Shoppers Drug Mart stores,” she said.

Staff will then take that person to a safe place where they can connect them with WCSWR. Signage that brings awareness to the Ask for Angela campaign can be seen on the front of stores.

“We know that people may be more comfortable in their local neighbourhood grocery store or they may have a pre-existing relationship with a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist, so then that can become a safe space for them to reach out for support,” Hutton said. “We’re not asking staff to be able to do risk assessments or safety planning, that needs a certain level of expertise. What we’re asking of them is to help the individual get to a safe place.”

WCSWR has a 24/7 crisis support line that trained staff can contact or anyone in the community needing support with domestic violence. They also have an online chat tool people can use if they want to be even more discreet about asking for assistance.

The campaign first launched in Canada in Toronto, making Waterloo Region the second Canadian location to embrace the idea.

Hutton said those workers getting specialized training brings more awareness and builds community support around victims of domestic violence.

“We often say as an organization, we can’t do this work alone, the issue of domestic violence is such a significant and complicated issue, and it really is a social problem — this kind of care and community response is so important.”

The Ask for Angela campaign first started back in 2016 by a female police officer in the U.K. She named it after a close friend who was abused and killed by her husband.